Elemental characterization of a Puma concolor fossil by non‐destructive X‐ray techniques

Abstract Over the lifetime of an animal, metabolic processes in the body maintain bone tissues in a dynamic state of equilibrium. After the death of the organism, bone tissues undergo diagenesis, an intense transformation that affects its physicochemical constitution. Although many recent works have greatly contributed to the understanding of the processes surrounding diagenesis, there is still much yet to be understood about this multifaceted phenomena. In this work, XRF and microCT were used to characterize the specimen elemental configuration and investigate the fossilization process of a recovered Puma concolor (cranium, mandible and teeth elements), found submerged in a lake in the Impossível‐Ioiô Cave System (Bahia, Brazil). MicroCT enabled the identification of the density distribution throughout the specimens, which were used as reference to XRF analyses. The XRF spectra of the analyzed specimen showed the presence of 11 elements: P, Cl, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Sr, Y and Hg. Yttrium counts proved to be regular throughout the specimen surface and decreased in the interface between bone surface and interior, evidencing their correspondence to sample environmental exposure. Furthermore, a correlation between fossil surface coloration, element configuration and density is presented. The relatively low presence of Fe and Y in the enamel elicits its elementary and structural preservation. The combined results contribute to the understanding of the physicochemical process of paleomastozoological fossilization, further enriching the comprehension of the process of fossilization in a submerged environment.